Western+Europe

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 * Charlemagne:** Frankish ruler from 771-814 CE; he was considered the best ruler during the dark ages


 * Impact of Christianity** (490-600)
 * knowledge of the world was monopolized by the Christian clergy because of the fragmented and barbaric state Europe was in at the time
 * the church became the most powerful force in Medieval Europe because kings aligned with it to gain political advantages
 * Christianity has leaders with absolute powers- kings were able to enforce their rule because they were "divinely" appointed king

__1. Senseless Violence & Wars:__ The Crusader mentality was that Christianity must get rid of Islam and Judaism at all costs, even if peoples lives are taken. Persecutions of Jews rose in Europe. On the Crusaders' march around the Mediterranean, the death toll was high for Christians and Muslims. When Jerusalem was captured, Muslim and Jewish residents were killed (and women).The kingdom was short-lived. __2. Undermining Church Moral Authority:__ Such events as the killing of the Jews and Muslims were later used as an accusation against the Roman Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, convincing many that the Roman Catholic Church was not the moral authority it had claimed to be throughout the Dark Ages __3. Distrust of Christians__: As Christians violently persecuted Jews and destroyed Muslims in their path to the Middle East, they would develop a reputation as a ruthless and exploitive group among these people.
 * Reign of Charles Martel & Viking Raids** (600 - 755)
 * Scandinavian Vikings began attacking unprotected borders of Britain
 * slaves were captured
 * monasteries were targeted because they were unprotected.
 * reign of Charles Martel 718-741- ruled Frankish Empire
 * founded Great Carolingian Dynasty, expanded empire to cover most of Europe
 * Franks became most powerful kingdom in Europe during his reign
 * he is the grandfather to Charlemagne- greatest European ruler of the dark ages
 * Martel pioneered advancements in warfare- caused them to conquer much of Europe
 * The Rise of the Franks** (755-850)
 * Franks helped liberate Rome from Lombard rule and established independent Papal states in Italy
 * 771- Charlemagne becomes king of all Frankish Empire
 * forefather of France and Germany- first king to be considered the protector of the Roman Catholic church
 * Charlemagne was tolerant towards Jews and had a peaceful environment for them- Jews benefited with wealth but suffered b/c the were accused of exploiting the Christian community
 * Franks conquered all lands Germanic lands to the east, including Slavs and farther east
 * 774- Franks conquered Lombards in northern Italy
 * 785- Franks push Muslims deeper into Hispania to stop spread of Islam
 * 800- Charlemagne is crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope
 * Franks were powerful because of advances in military tactics and weaponry, geo-politics, politics, centralization, and leadership
 * 814- Charlemagne dies and Frankish Empire is fragmented and weakened
 * Feudalism** (840 - 967)
 * pre 843 Frankish Empire unified much of the West and Central Europe
 * subdivision of empire in 843 among the 3 sons of Louis I drove Europe backwards
 * the splitting of the empire discouraged unification as the rule of law and the economy became entirely land-based
 * Feudalism is an military/economic/social order where a monarch grants feudal lords large parcels of land in exchange for military service when needed, and taxes, in exchange for unified military protection
 * The feudal lords (counts, nobles, etc.) would rule the people on a piecemeal basis, holding their own courts, and dealing justice as they way they wanted to
 * Peasants were essentially the property of the feudal lords, in a system within feudalism known as serfdom, a form of slavery- peasants were called serfs
 * Christianity and the High Middle Ages & Expansion of Holy Roman Empire** (967 - 1060)
 * The kingdoms that were characteristics of Early Middle Ages became consolidated into states in the High Middle Ages- they were a response to barbaric invasions throughout Europe
 * Christianity still dominated the continent, most nations responded to papal authority (Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox).
 * By 10th and 11th centuries, virtually all barbaric peoples in Europe had been converted to Christianity- caused barbarics to stop invading other nations
 * The Christian Crusades would be revived in Asia causing a rise in Asian trade and introducing Islamic science/enlightenment into Europe
 * Population grew rapidly in Europe
 * With most of Europe Christianized, there is an increase in papal influence[[image:norman_conquest.jpeg align="right" caption="Map of the Norman Conquest of England - 1066"]]
 * The belief that the individual is serving a greater purpose helps Church-dominated empires to expand the Holy Roman Empire
 * Effects of the Crusades, Norman conquest of England and Magna Carta** (1060-1240)

__4. Opened Way for Future Muslim Conquests of Europe:__ As tension grew between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, the Crusaders were eager to conquer the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. Byzantine would later reconquer its captial, but would be damaged, getting it ready for destruction when the Ottoman Turks began advancing into Europe. Once the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman armies, much of the remainder of Eastern Europe fell very quickly to the Ottoman Empire. __5. Asian Influence:__ The crusades did increase Europe’s knowledge of the Asian world, which was more advanced than Europe in most aspects. This helped to bring a more cosmopolitan influence to Europe, which played a small part in the creation of the Renaissance. __6. Increased Anti-Semitism:__ Devotion and loyalty to the Church was rising throughout Europe, resulting in a decline of religious tolerance, leaving the Jewish populations in Europe as a target. Throughout Europe, Jewish communities were destroyed ( in some cases.
 * 1066- Normans invade Ireland after losing control of England
 * got ahead in battle of control over Irish kingdoms
 * 1215- nobles in England marched to King John and forced him to agree to the rights ensured by the Magna Carta
 * Why the Golden Horde able to dominate Europe? and the Black Death Plague** (1240 - 1350)
 * Mongols were forced West
 * depended on trade
 * gained superior military technology including bows and horsemanship due to exposure to nomadic life
 * able to increase numbers by conquering regions and forcing people to join them or die
 * trade grew and diplomacy grew
 * their timing was good because Europe was in a weak state because of the plague
 * Mongols may have introduced the plague

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Summary: Manorialism is a system of economic and political relations between landlord and their serfs. Serfs rented land from the landlords to live and work off of. Serfs paid the lords to use the land. They paid money and some goods. Life was difficult for serfs because the labor was brutal and the production was low. The serfs benefited from the landlords because the landlords provided the serfs with protection. The serfs paid for land and protection while the lords rented out their land to make a profit. The system itself was very stable. It was developed during the decline of the Roman Empire. Central government wasn't strong and that allowed manorialism to expand. The system became popular all across Europe during the Middle Dark Ages.

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Summary: Feudalism was made possible because Manorialism existed. Feudalism is a hierarchical system in which a lord gives a gift of land to a vassal. The vassal then owes the lord a payment of some sort. Feudalism was used by European kings to expand their power. Charlemagne gave all of his officers estates and they got vassals to take the land. Feudalism was linked kingdom to kingdom by marriage ties. Feudalism also began during the decline of the Roman Empire. Feudalism started from Manorialism and became a very powerful and stable system. Feudalism was a more general Manorialism. Feudal relationships spread across more of the classes. Feudalism wasn't as stable because nobles were able to challenge the king's authority if they became powerful themselves. The Capetian family became to powerful that thry became the most powerful lords.


 * __Notes: The Dark Ages__**
 * 410 CE Rome falls to sweaty thugs (Visigoths)
 * Killed Rome from the outside by stopping food imports
 * Small pox was introduced to Rome through trade
 * After the sack, society regressed, life was better in the past
 * Clovis united his people by converting to Christianity (France)
 * Clovis died in 511 CE
 * Roman Empire was split into two
 * Justinian rose to power in 527 CE
 * Justinian conquered most of old Roman lands
 * Black plague wiped out almost half of the continent

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 * Magna Carta Mark Up**


 * Summary: Magna Carta Mark-Up**

The Magna Carta is a set of laws and rights that was introduced to the King of England in 1215. This set of rights was needed because the current rights that the church and the government gave the people weren't protecting them enough. The document is lengthy, but it gets its point across right at the beginning. Most of the document is a list of the rights that weren't included in the previous rights the people had. Some laws and rights can be connected to the world today. The Magna Carta was revolutionary in a sense that law would forever be affected. The document gave citizens rights that still exist in today's world.

ESPIRIT: WESTERN EUROPE

E-
 * In the systems of Feudalism serfs provided agricultural work for their landlords; this provided the King of the state with money through taxation; in Feudalism it was more of a connection between the higher ranks, like the kings, to the serfs; kings made orders down the chain to vassals and lords to produce money and serfs complained up the chain until they reached the topmost authority; the serfs' hard work paid off by producing enough money to support stable armies
 * Manorialism was the relationship between landlords and serfs; serfs worked long, hard days to produce rent and get protection from their landlords
 * Stirrups- provided more stable fighting on horse back- soldiers didn't worry about losing their swords and gave lords dominance in conquering territories
 * Trade and population growth encouraged markets to expand; this also increased trade; it also made a less rigid social structure which helped to create a more commercial-friendly market
 * Crusades led to a cultural mix and introduction to international trade
 * **Guilds** were formed between people who worked in the same field of profession; They helped everyone trade, produce food, sell goods, and create bonds with each other; All members were to gain a share of the profit; Encouraged people to work together; work was distributed evenly, no one could get all of the business, kept a balance of power
 * **Saladin's Truce of Heaven-** temporary truce between Muslims and Christians- promoted trade

S-
 * Education and opening of universities adopted knowledge from Arab and Greek achievements
 * Improvements in agriculture allowed peasants to work in less severe conditions; Made their lives easier
 * Landlords attempted to make serfs pay higher taxes; Serfs were gaining a sense of freedom and were able to gain their own land
 * **Guilds** were formed between people who worked in the same field of profession; They helped everyone trade, produce food, sell goods, and create bonds with each other; All members were to gain a share of the profit; Encouraged people to work together
 * Women tended to the family; They provided alternate marriages; Women in the west had higher authority than those in Islam; they were able to operate some craft guilds and commerce
 * people were primarily Catholic during the High Middle Ages
 * serfs gained more freedom by the High Middle Ages
 * no primary language or set religion
 * Troubadours- traveling bards- told stories, sang songs, entertainment- incorporated love into their stories
 * merchants gained presence in all aspects of sociey, supported by government and by people
 * women had a higher status than in other societies- more freedoms than Muslim counterparts

P- I-
 * Feudalism- A system of lords and vassals; The lord was to give land to the vassal in exchange for military services; some lords had established more power and they gathered more vassals; extended their land and created a relation amongst other people with marriage ties; gave them more power
 * **William the Conqueror (1066)**;Conquered England from Norman rule; Introduced Feudalism; Tied the courts of England to bonds and loyalty; Gave them estates for military service and taxes
 * **Capetian Royal Family** exploited their positions as regional feudal lords and Controlled more serfs, had more vassals, gained much more land, and all this caused a major rise in power, they gained more money; the family attempted to create their own bureaucratic government
 * **Charles Martel** defeated the Muslims in the the **battle of Tours** in 732; strengthened his family- **Carolingians-** first royal family; The battle had isolated the Muslims to Spain; Byzantine defeat of Arabs helped Christianity prosper within Europe
 * **Clovis** converted the Franks to Christianity in 496 CE; he gained more power over rival territories; converted pagans into Christianity during his conquest
 * **Holy Roman Emperors** had their power given to them by the Pope; were able to gain more power than other emperors before them; the Pope was still the most powerful person
 * **Magna Carta** 1215 was written as a result of **King John's** corruption and taxation; Limited the power of the monarchs; gave more freedoms to the peasants; established Parliament- a body of people who represent the individual voters
 * English Parliament in 1265;divided into 2 houses- House of Lords represented the nobles and church hierarchy- commons were made up of the wealthy citizens- Monarchs were to consult with their vassals- Made the decision of whether a tax law should be overruled- Could also control other policies made by the monarch; they all represented the **Three Estates**- Church, Nobles, and Urban leaders
 * every king had divine kingship- God told them to rule
 * some nation states, as they gained power, tried to create bureaucracies
 * nations states deveolped democratic principles such as parliaments
 * **Charlemagne** encouraged schools and education to be opened in the 9th-10th centuries; first university opened in the 11th century; Italy offered training in medicine and law-used knowledge from Arabs and Greece/Hellenistic science; Paris opened schools to train people in becoming part of the clergy and theologists
 * **Pope Urban II** called the **first Crusade** in 1095; wanted to regain the Christian Holy Lands from the Muslims; Crusaders were promised that their sins would be forgotten if they fought (and if they fought and died); conquering Arab territory provided more land for Christianity to expand and helped trading link to farther parts of the world
 * Crusaders gathered in Constantinople in 1097(**Second Crusade**) and captured Jerusalem from the Turkish armies
 * **Saladin** had reconquered the Holy land
 * **Third Crusade** in the 12th century; imprisoned the English king;
 * **Fourth Crusade**; Merchants in Venice attacked Constantinople
 * Vikings converted to Christianity and later lessened their amount of raids and attacks
 * France and England waged wars over land; Eventually started the **Hundred Years War**; fight for national monarchy, land and feudal rights v. claims of nation states
 * Kievan Rus- Russian trading society created by Balkans

R-
 * The Pope was the leading power of the church; Urban II was able to call for war because he had the right to according to his rights as pope; popes limited the power of the emperor and monarch; only cared for keeping their position and power- this caused corruption
 * Holy Roman Emperor got power from the pope
 * Catholic Church went through many declines and renewals; church officials were focused on their land and political interests; had wealth and wanted to attain greater power
 * **Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085)** tried to purify the church and remove it from influence of feudal lords; wanted to re-establish priesthood- they could not marry; tried to separate church and state; excommunicated Henry IV for not stopping the practice of **investiture**; established church and state separation
 * Iconoclastic paintings were depicted in Orthodox churches
 * Benedictine and Franciscan monastary systems- taught clergy
 * celebreation of new saints- especially women saints- Virgin Mary and Saint Claire of Assisi

I-
 * **Peter Abelard** wrote __Yes and No__; demonstrated the logic of proving the existence of God
 * **Bernard of Clarivaux** stated that Abelard was inaccurate; he stressed that God's message must be found through faith alone
 * **Thomas Aquinas** stated that faith was above all and through knowledge people could learn more about the world and God
 * **Scholasticism** was introduced due to the opening of universities- idea that one can apply logic to belief- became popular- some universities taught it
 * oldest universities were founded on theology

T-
 * **Gothic structures** were introduced in churches and arched windows
 * Moldboard was a new plow that turned soil more easily
 * **Three-Field System-** one third of the land was left alone to regain fertility
 * New horse collar- made riding horses easier and was safe for the horse

Notes: Decline of Medieval Synthesis: Western Europe had started by converting to Christianity which led to a more powerful culture and a system of growth and change as **feudalism** and **manorialism** was introduced. These two systems gave structure to an otherwise structureless government during the Middle Dark Ages. The **One Hundred Years War** had started to plague its power. **Clovis** had converted France to Orthodox Christianity when he conquered lands and territories. He ruled the people with an iron fist and murdered those who who went against his ideals. After acquiring the people's lands he had forced the newly found slaves to join his army or to die.The **Crusades** were very important to the interactions between countries in the Middle East. The fight over the **Holy Land** shows the tensions between the spread of **Islam** and the spread of **Christianity** Also, the **Magna Carta** revolutionized people's rights and law.
 * **Hundred Years War**; During the mid 15th century; The war lasted longer than 100 years (112 years I think)
 * Caused huge disaster for France; A new sign of weakness in French monarchy
 * Kings paid for their own armies; Stopped using prancing forces
 * Archers created lethal bows/crossbows and arrows to pierce through heavy armor
 * **Joan of Arc**- peasant woman; Led France to victory
 * Population growth; Medieval agriculture could not keep up with the growth rate- this hurt the economy and the society
 * Land had been used up; No major revenue sources
 * Caused famines, decrease in total population, and plagues (Black Death)
 * Land-owning aristocrats in the 14th century lost military powers and their control of land; They decided to live a simple life in a rich ceremonial style
 * **Chivalry**-Created better attitudes towards women, led to polite behavior, and the upper class became more cultivated
 * Chivalry divided the social classes
 * After the disputer on taxation French kings had great power over the papacy; Changed their location from Rome to Avignon- Area surrounded by the French- Protection and away from their enemies
 * Church began to lose power; Leaders were more focused on political life; people were no longer on their spiritual side; People looked towards a religious life
 * Mystics- women who claimed to be emotionally connected to God
 * Thomas Aquinas caused religious leaders to go against his work; caused thinkers to turn away from religion
 * Religious leaders had become less important
 * Summary:**
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